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Baseball Hall of Fame 2017 ballot: Who’s in and who’s out?

By Joshua Sadlock

Jul 26, 2015; Cooperstown, NY, USA; The 4 Hall of Fame plagues of Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz installed and available for viewing in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 26, 2015; Cooperstown, NY, USA; The 4 Hall of Fame plagues of Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz installed and available for viewing in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /
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ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 25: Ivan ‘Pudge’ Rodriguez visits with the players before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 25, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 25: Ivan ‘Pudge’ Rodriguez visits with the players before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 25, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images) /

Ivan Rodriguez

It took Mike Piazza a few attempts to reach the Hall of Fame due to one reporter’s insistence that he saw acne on the catcher’s back during the height of the steroid era. Piazza never tested positive. If that speculation was enough to keep Piazza out, arguably the best offensive catcher in league history, Pudge Rodriguez may also have to wait his turn for induction.

Based strictly on numbers, Rodriguez is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He made 14 All-Star teams, won an MVP, claimed seven Silver Sluggers, and took home 13 Gold Gloves (including ten straight from 1992 to 2001). Spending almost his entire career behind the dish, Rodriguez nearly reached 3,000 hits while batting close to .300. He also won a World Series with the Florida Marlins in 2003.

Rodriguez got more hits and scored more runs than anyone who has suited up behind the dish in league history. During his time in the league, he had the best arm and threw out 46 percent of base stealers. That should all add up to an easy induction, but it is far too easy to believe the entire Texas Rangers roster of the mid-to-late nineties was on the juice.

Verdict — Close, but the ties to steroids are too strong for a first-ballot induction

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